Three top tips for Microsoft license management
Microsoft 365 sits at the heart of modern businesses, yet many struggle with their license management. According to Gartner, not only do businesses end up paying for unused licenses, but fewer than 10% feel they are getting maximum value from their investments.
Businesses are actively seeking solutions to control and optimise their Microsoft spending, so we’ve put together three top tips for effective Microsoft license management, alongside how Soft-ex’s 365 Analyser solution can help every step of the way.
1. Proactively track and manage license renewal dates
A great place to start is license renewal dates. When you’re head down in the day-to-day, it’s very easy to lose track of when renewals need to be completed (or contracts cancelled) by. Without clear visibility into start and end dates, organisations can easily find themselves locked into unfavourable contracts, left to then pay for another year of unwanted licenses, or not enough licenses for the team.
But Soft-ex’s 365 Analyser can help. Instead of relying on memory alone, or simply overlooking one of the deadlines, Soft-ex provides a consolidated view of all your Microsoft license agreements, including important dates. This provides teams with plenty of time to assess current usage, negotiate renewal terms and avoid unexpected cost hikes or service disruptions. In short, we make sure you only pay for what you need.
2. Implement robust policies and procedures for license allocation
One of the biggest contributors to ineffective license management is not having the right information to inform license allocation. Take joiners and leavers; given the amount of onboarding and offboarding hoops there are to jump through, it’s not uncommon for Microsoft licenses to be left off the checklist. In some cases, when new workers join, they’re automatically assigned a higher tier license where it’s not required. Then, when someone leaves, licenses are left unassigned and subsequently overlooked when it comes to renewals – meaning wasted spend.
Soft-ex’s 365 Analyser helps establish clear policies and procedures for license allocation to make sure the right person always has the right license. By monitoring user activity, teams can tailor license assignments to specific roles and needs. The platform identifies inactive accounts so that teams can decommission or reallocate as needed.
3. Proactively monitor for Microsoft license changes
Microsoft licensing changes fairly regularly, which can cause big problems for businesses that don’t have visibility. Examples of these updates include price adjustments, changes to feature sets within different tiers (like E3 and E5), and modifications to consumption models are common occurrences. It can come as a shock to businesses when their bill unexpectedly spikes, and once again leaves teams feeling out of control of their spend.
Soft-ex’s 365 Analyser delivers insights into current license consumption so teams can make an informed decision should they need to reassess in the face of changes from Microsoft. With a greater understanding of the features included in each license type and how each is being used, it becomes a lot easier to identify where upgrades or downgrades are needed. Having this information at their fingertips allows businesses to respond quickly to license changes, minimising potential disruption to operations and unnecessary, unexpected costs.
If you’re ready to guarantee maximum value from your Microsoft licenses, get in touch today to find out how our 365 Analyser could help you.
